After months of uncertainty, the Tropical Forest at Syon Park may finally have found a new home.
The hundreds of rescue animals at the Brentford-based Tropical Forest have faced an uncertain future since the news the zoo would be closed down and moved to make room for a hotel development. In a bid to save the zoo, one councillor – Jon Hardy – even swam with piranhas.
But thankfully Hounslow Council has found a possible site for the zoo.
A plot of land adjacent to the Urban Farm in Bedfont is to be considered by councillors as a potential new area for the relocation of the 20-year-old zoo in the next couple of months.
If successful it will mean the Tropical Forest will not have to move away from its Hounslow home.
Zoo owner Tony Purdy said he was pleased at the news the Tropical Forest may soon have a new home – but said even if relocation to the new site was approved it would not be without its complications.
He said the attraction is struggling to raise enough money to be able to rebuild in a new location at all.
He said: “We’re trying to raise funds pretty quickly within the next two months or so, as we have to be out of here by the end of September.
“It’s going to cost £1.5m to £1.6m in total to move, and we still need another £500,000.”
The zoo, which has been at its current premises for more than 20 years and has just welcomed its 500th rescue animal, was told it had to move from its original home to make room for the new Hilton hotel being built in Syon Park.
In a desperate plea to the owners of their current zoo, Mr Purdy said what the site really needed was a few more months to get everything ready so it would not have to move the animals to temporary accommodation.
He said: “If the hotel group or the Duke of Northumberland could grant us just another six months then we wouldn’t have to rehouse the animals.
“It would be much better if they could go straight from here to their new enclosures.”
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